Putting patients at ease

Compared to the past, modern dentistry offers a wide range of treatment options to the public. These options are more likely to be appreciated and accepted when we take the feelings of our patients into account. Dr. T. J. Murray, a former dean of Dalhousie University's medical school, says: "I believe it is just as important now, in the era of scientific medicine and dentistry, to practise the art of our profession as it ever was. Our professions were always a balance of caring and healing. In modern times, the concepts and approaches to healing have had a scientific underpinning, but they have not supplanted the need for humanistic care. In fact, many persons have problems and illnesses that are not amenable to scientific treatment or cure, and the approach is for caring, understanding, explanation, reassurance, and 'being there' for the patient."